Packages are "still" overdependent on Firefox.

[DonS]

Epiphany also depends on firefox.  This is being actively worked on
(upstream).  Yelp and epiphany (at least) can be recompiled using
XULrunner.  The fact that in Ubuntu they all depend on firefox is due
to firefox not using XULrunner as its base (which will change in FF
3.0, due next spring), and firefox being the default browser.  When
firefox 3.0 makes its way into edgy+1 / edgy+2, it'll be possible to
remove firefox, while leaving everything else working as-is.

The reason GNOME depends on gecko (i.e. firefox / XULrunner) is that
its a powerful framework.  GNOME had / has a html rendering engine
(gtkhtml IIRC), but its not as powerful or easy to use as gecko.  The
thinking is "Why go and reinvent the wheel when we have gecko already
mature at our fingertips?".


-- 
DonS